Page 1 of 2 Next >>Best known today for his television work, Alain de Cadenet was more than an accomplished privateer racer. During the 1970s, he was a set fixture at Le Mans with sports prototypes that he had commissioned himself. The first was the Gordon Murray-designed Duckhams, raced between 1972 and 1974, and this was followed by three further cars built following a design (T380) by Lola. The original De Cadenet-Lola was built by Lola themselves while the other two sported tubs constructed by Thompson but following the same design.

Lola's design for the new T380 was wholly conventional with an aluminium monocoque built to house the readily available Cosworth DFV V8 engine. At the front the suspension was by double wishbones while at the rear a more unusual setup was used with high mounted springs and rear uprights controlled by a sliding block rather than trailing arms. Intended primarily to run at Le Mans, the T380 was fitted with a slippery body than was much rounder and smoother than the designs used for Lola's other sports cars. A separate rear wing was mounted behind the rear bodywork. In addition to the chassis destined for De Cadenet, a second T380 was also built by Lola.

Entered for De Cadenet himself and Chris Craft, the De Cadenet Lola T380 made its debut in the 1975 24 Hours of Le Mans. They qualified seventh and eventually finished a delayed 14th. Over the next winter, the car was subtly revised with much work focusing on the rear wing, which was now mounted lower, as an extension of the rear bodywork. Driving duties at Le Mans in 1976 were once again shared by De Cadenet and Craft, who qualified 10th but with a lap a full seven seconds faster than in 1975. A trouble free run was awarded with a remarkable 3rd place finish behind the victorious Porsche 936 and a sister car to the 1975 winning Mirage. Page 1 of 2 Next >>